A round barn is a historic barn design that could be octagonal, polygonal, or circular in plan. Though round barns were not as popular as some other barn designs, their unique shape makes them noticeable. The years from 1880 to 1920 represent the height of round barn construction. Round barn construction in the United States can be divided into two overlapping eras. The first, the octagonal era, spanned from 1850 to 1900. The second, the true circular era, spanned from 1889 to 1936. The overlap meant that round barns of both types, polygonal and circular, were built during the latter part of the nineteenth century. Numerous round barns in the United States are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Langworthy House, also known as the Octagon House, is a historic building located in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. Built in 1856, it was designed by local architect John F. Rague for local politician Edward Langworthy. The two-story brick home features tall windows, a columned entry, and a windowed cupola. Langworthy and three of his brothers were among the first settlers in Dubuque. They were partners in a lead mine, helped to build the territorial road between Dubuque and Iowa City, they farmed, invested in real estate, and they owned a steamboat and a mercantile exchange. The house has been passed down through Langworthy's descendants. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and it was included as a contributing property in the Langworthy Historic District in 2004.
The Octagon Barn, Richland Township is a historic building located near Jamaica in Guthrie County, Iowa, United States. Built in 1881, this is the oldest known octagon-shaped barn extant in Iowa. It measures 70 feet (21 m) in diameter. The modified hip roof, heavy timber construction, rectangular plan, and general purpose use mark this as a Coffin type. It was named for Lorenzo S. Coffin who is thought to have built the first round barn in the state. This barn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The metal band Slipknot filmed the music video for Psychosocial here.
The Kinney Octagon Barn was a historic agricultural building located just north of Burr Oak, Iowa, United States. Lorenzo Coffin was a stock breeder and the farm editor of the Fort Dodge Messenger. He is thought to have built the first round barn in Iowa in 1867. The modified hip roof and heavy timber construction of this barn, built in 1880, suggests that it was a Coffin-type octagon barn. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 19, 1986. It has subsequently been torn down.
The Secrest Octagon Barn is a historic building located near Downey in rural Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It was constructed in 1883 by master builder George Frank Longerbean for Joshua Hunt Secrest as a hay barn-horse stable. The octagonal barn measures 80 feet (24 m) in diameter. It features red vertical siding and a sectional bell shaped roof that is supported by hand-laminated beams. The octagon-shaped cupola has the same roof shape as the barn. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
The Fobes Octagon Barn is a historic building located south of Lanesboro, Iowa, United States. It was built in 1883, and at the time of its nomination it was one of 14 octagon-shaped barns from the 19th-century left in Iowa. The barn has a diameter of 66 feet (20 m) and features a stone foundation, and a hip roof with a square cupola on top. The modification of the roof suggests this is a "Coffine type" structure similar to others built by Lorenzo Coffin. The general purpose barn has two granaries, horse stalls, and the rest of the space is open for agricultural machinery. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
The Roberts Octagon Barn built in 1883 is an historic octagonal barn located on CR W62 near Sharon Center, Johnson County, Iowa. On June 30, 1986, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Lattin-Crandall Octagon Barn is a historic octagonal barn located near Catharine in Schuyler County, New York. It was built in 1893 and is significant as an early example in New York State of the octagon prototype popularized by Elliot Stewart in the 1870s. It is a frame structure with cupola that features a self-supporting roof without intervening members.
Baker Octagon Barn is a historic barn located in Richfield Springs in Otsego County, New York. It was built in 1882, and is a three-story, octagonal wood frame and fieldstone structure. It has a hipped roof and is topped by an octagonal cupola. The barn measures 60 feet in diameter.
Lunn-Musser Octagon Barn is a historic barn located near Garrattsville in Otsego County, New York. Built in 1885, it is a two-story, octagonal wood frame and stone structure with a hipped roof and an octagonal cupola. It measures 60 feet in diameter. and meets the definition of a round barn.
The Grimes Octagon Barn is an historic building located near West Union in rural Fayette County, Iowa, United States. It was built by Joe Butler in 1880 for M.W. Grimes. The building is an octagon that measures 65 feet (20 m) in diameter. It is one of 14 known 19th-century octagon barns that still exist on an Iowa farm. The barn features red metal siding, a roof composed of wedge-shaped sections and a hay dormer. The sectional roof marks it as a Stewart type that was named for the New York farmer and agricultural editor Elliott W. Stewart, who designed the prototype in 1874. The barn has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986.
The Polygonal Barn, Van Buren Township was a historic building located in Van Buren Township in rural Jackson County, Iowa, United States. It was built in 1920 by Gus Klenney as a sale barn. They house livestock that are shown and sold to buyers. It is not known what livestock were sold here. The building was octagonal in shape and measured 50 feet (15 m) in diameter. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The structure has subsequently been torn down.
The Octagon Barn, Otter Township is a historic building located near Milo in rural Warren County, Iowa, United States. It was built in 1900 as a horse and dairy barn. The octagon-shaped building measures 54 feet (16 m) in diameter. The structure features a tall center section with a winged shed around it. It is covered in red horizontal siding and is topped by a sectional conical roof. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986.
The Octagon Round Barn, Indian Creek Township is a historic building located near Iowa Center in rural Story County, Iowa, United States. It was built in around 1880 as a dairy barn. The octagon-shaped building measures 50 feet (15 m) in diameter. The modified hip roof, heavy timber framing, rectangular interior plan, and general purpose use marks this as a design influenced by Lorenzo S. Coffin, who built the first round barn in Iowa. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986. The barn has deteriorated significantly and it is essentially a pile of wood now.
The Carlott Funseth Round Barn is a round barn in Kempton, North Dakota, United States, that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. It's one of few round barns that was still in use as a barn and has been continuously maintained as a barn.
Rankin Octagonal Barn is a historic octagonal barn located near Silverton, Jackson County, West Virginia. It was built about 1890, and is an eight-sided frame structure covered with vertical wide board siding. Each side of the octagon measures 24 feet in length. It features a central cupola to provide light and ventilation.
The Harnsberger Octagonal Barn, also known the Mt. Meridian Octagonal Barn, is located near Grottoes, Virginia. Built about 1867, the barn is possibly the only example of such a barn in Virginia, as the building style was more popular in the expanding midwestern United States in the immediate post-American Civil War era than in economically depressed Virginia. The octagonal style was popularized in 1853 by A Home For All, or the Gravel Wall and Octagon Mode of Building by Orson Squire Fowler.
J. F. Roberts Octagonal Barn, also known as the Clark Octagonal Barn, is a historic octagon barn located near Rea, Andrew County, Missouri, United States. It was built about 1900, and is a two-story, octagonal wood-frame structure constructed of interior post and beam framing. The central section is topped by an eight-sided hipped roof.
The Harlie Whitcomb Farm is a historic farm property on George Street in Orange, Vermont. The property, which includes a pre-1869 farmhouse, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, because the 10-acre (4.0 ha) property also included an octagonal three-story barn, one of a very few known in the state. The barn has since been demolished.
